


Siren

by iliteratii



Category: Fable (Video Games), Fable 2 (Video Game), Fable 3 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Im in love with Reaver, Modern Girl In Albion, Reaver is basically satan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 02:51:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iliteratii/pseuds/iliteratii
Summary: Lila's life is falling apart and her uncle has a hit out on her. When she's caught and drowned, she wakes up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Maybe, just maybe this is her second shot at life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a fable fanfic, but I'm in love with Reaver. Hopefully it isn't shitty and long-winded. I'm typing this on my phone so I apologize if I miss amy spelling or grammar mistakes. Enjoy!

I was running, fast and hard, pelted by rain, blue dye streaking down my face no doubt. How exactly I got to this place is unclear, I could still hear their voices behind me. 

Life just kept fucking me over, it all started with the death of my parents. Soon after the rest of my family practically disowned me, their death had been my fault. As if I hadn't been blaming myself already. Years had gone by of my miserable life and I believe I've finally met rock bottom. Just when I thought I couldn't sink any lower. 

Now, why am I running? Well, believe it or not but I'm no angel. After losing everything I ever loved life didn't seem worth it anymore. Trying to be a good person wasn't something I was concerned with any longer. After three years alone I had attempted suicide and spent a while in the hospital, alone. After another year I found myself mixed up in something I never should have gotten mixed up in. I lived life for the hell of it now, considering the universe wouldn't let me die the first time. Unfortunately I had pissed some powerful leader of some crime organization and now was being chased down by a group of very big, very scary men. If I didn't get away I would be killed and raped, likely not in that order. I almost didn't have the energy to run, I almost wanted to let it happen and loath myself even more. One last "Fuck you Lila Koffler" before I'm met with sweet death. But somewhere inside I still wanted to live, there smallest glow of hope still resided within me and I ran. I wasn't sure what I had done to deserve this, my big mouth usually got me into trouble, nothing new. I was likely drunk when I said it, maybe high. Maybe both. I couldn't really be sure.  

Now the rain fell even harder and my lungs were screaming for air. I didn't know where I was going but I thought I could hear the ocean. It was dark but the moon was full, managing to cast a little light through the clouds. I don't as growing tired, but I couldn't stop. My pace was slowing. I can make it, I think to myself, pushing on. 

That is until I run head first into something hard, I'm sent stumbling backward, rolling on the hard ground. I struggle to catch my breath, trying to move fast enough to get up and away. Something pushes me down, I look up to see a dark figure standing over me, one large heavy boot pressing down on my chest. 

"Gotcha." His voice is deep, gravelly. In the dark and rain I can't make out a face, he wears a hood as well. More footsteps approach and I groan as the man puts more weigh on my chest. 

"Grab her." He commands the other men, turning around so his back is to me. I'm hoisted up by the big guys, barely attempting to struggle. The sliver of what was left of my will to live is gone now, I allow them to drag me through the alleyways and out onto the sidewalk. Death would be a relief. 

"Please, just kill me." I mumble, "Please." I plead, pathetically. My body felt so heavy and I was now shivering. The rain had begun to let up and the moon lit our path. I look up, noticing that we're reaching the dock. The men don't speak, I don't try to say any more. There's nothing I can do, despite all my strength I couldn't fair well against three grown men who likely have guns. We stop suddenly, I lift my head again, meeting the icy gaze of my uncle surprisingly enough. Though I'm not sure it's much of a surprise. 

"Your whole family hates you, Lila. We finally decided to rid the earth of your sinful ways." He states, looking at the men holding me, "Strip her down and tie her hands." 

I'm unsure of what to say, I knew my family hated me, but I didn't think it was to this extents. I can't find it in me to cry though or feel especially broken hearted. I would die alone and half naked, wonderful. I try one last time to struggle free, crying out as the men rip my clothes off, leaving me exposed in my underwear. My body is shaking as I fear what they will do to me, I whimper when they tie my hands behind my back. This is it, this is sad miserable end of Lila Koffler, she lived a shitty life and met an even shittier end. 

"Now these two nice gentleman are going to take you out in their little boat and throw you to the fishes, I remember how much you used to love the ocean." He had an evil grin on his face, my own blood organizing my death.

I'm tossed into the boat, the two thugs climbing in after me. Neither of them had spoken yet, they both just muttered to each other, faces hidden by baseball caps and hoods. They were both dressed in black from head to toe. The silence of the two men is eerie as they row us out away from the shore. The rain paused, moonlight twinkles upon the waves as if it were a perfectly peaceful night. I could jump now, but my hands were still tied and I wasn't  sure I could rely on my feet solely.

"Ready?" One of them asks me as the boat stops, revealing dark brown eyes. It was a strange question to ask someone you were hired to kill if you ask me. 

"No." I answer bluntly, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. 

"Sorry about this, kid." The other says as he stands, making the boat rock. 

"You're terribly polite." I huff, my voice shaking as I'm lifted into a standing position. 

"I know." He says, suddenly pushing me overboard. 

I yelp, meeting the dark water. Much to my surprise, I feel like I'm just sinking. I struggle against the rope tying my hands together and furiously kick, I could see the moon over the water. Fear was kicking in and my survival  
instincts were on over drive. Water soon rushes into my lungs and something hard hits me, it's doesn't take long for everything to fade to black.


	2. Albion?

"It's a mermaid!" 

"Maybe a sea Nymph, she doesn't have a tail." 

"Bloody hell, get her out of the water, you blubbering hobbes" 

"Is she dead?" 

"Hold on" 

Suddenly I'm coughing up water, my vision is blurry and I feel like I've been dragged through a bed of jagged rocks. I wheeze and cough, hacking up sea water. 

"Are you alright?" A male voice brings me to look up, settling my blurry gaze on the group of people standing over me. I try to speak but only a garbled groan comes out. Someone helps me up, allowing me to cough up more water. I find my hands are no longer bound, but my wrists are raw and sore. 

"Where am I?" My voice  is hoarse and my vision begins to clear up. The men all look pretty rough and tough, it appears I'm the only woman aboard. 

"You're in Albion." The one that helped me up speaks, he has honey brown eyes and dark curly hair. They all seem to be dressed in old fashioned costumes, like pirates. 

"Albion?" I ask, they must be really into their roles right now. This must be some sort of historical cruise or something of that nature. Although never in my life had I heard of a place called Albion. Perhaps it was some obscure island. "Where is that?" 

They give each other glances, making me feel like I'm the crazy one here. 

"How far are we from Virginia?" I ask, looking around. I couldn't have gone far, I nearly died, how far could I go? 

"Virginia?" A man snickers, "Never heard of it, that mean you're a virgin?" 

The question has me a little mortified, I'm really unsure how to respond when a few other men start to chuckle as well. 

"Missy, I think you may have gotten a little confused." The man that helped me speaks again, draping a coat over my shoulders. He opens his mouth to speak again but pauses, his gaze settling on my chest. I'm about to snarl out something about 'my eyes are up here', but he reaches forward, snapping something off of my neck. I notice the crowd around me inch back, some looking a little fearful. 

"Where did you get this?" The man asks in a low voice, holding a necklace with a strange symbol attached to it. It's held together with a thin strip of leather. The symbol attached to it isn't very large, it sort of has a spiraled purple pattern to it. The pirate holding it seems afraid to touch the object itself.

"I-I don't know, I've never seen that before." I reach out and he allows me to take it in my hand, the symbol is a little heavier than I thought it would be and fills me with a strange mixture of awe and dread. 

"We take her to Reaver." The man speaks, turning to the crew. "Now get back to work, you dogs, if we make it to Bloodstone in time we can catch him." 

"What?" I pipe up, clinging to the necklace. "Who's Reaver? Where is Bloodstone?" I try to ask, the pirate roughly takes me by the arm and leads me below deck. It's hat to see down here and I keep tripping. "Where are you taking me?!" I demand, struggling to get out of his grip. 

"It'd be a waste to explain it now, you've obviously gone bonkers." The pirate mutters, tossing me into a cell. 

"What the hell?" I shout at the man, "Are you really pirates? This isn't some reenactment?" 

"Of course, we're bloody pirates. Now cover up with this." He tosses me a white shirt, and I finally realize that I'm still only in my underwear.

"Oh dear god." I mumble, "Why can't I just die!" 

\-------------------

I'm not entirely sure how long I had been in this dark cell. They'd send a young boy every day to deliver a meal, he hardly spoke but he stayed and watched while I ate. He looked frightened and curious. He began asking me to tell him about where I came from, I told him about cars "Carriages without horses" and cell phones, about how we could communicate with people from across the globe. I told him stories of my childhood, growing up by the beach. I told him about Virginia, the mountains and marshes. He listened quietly with wonder filled eyes. I had been singing in my free time, the most the boy said was the last time I saw him, he came bounding in with a plate of food. 

"Miss Lila, the men think you're a siren or something, they all gather around to hear you sometimes. How did your hair become the color of the sea?" I proceeded to tell him about the popularity of hair dye and the array of colors you had choice of. Being locked down here gave me a lot of time to think about what happened. This must be hell, or some sick afterlife where my life is just as shitty as before. 

I hadn't seen him again yet and was curled up in the corner of my cell, humming to myself. It wasn't too bad down here dirty and dark, but I had gotten used to the dim light. I heard quite a bit of commotion from above, the muffled voices of men yelling and heavy boots on the deck. 

"Prisoner," The same man that threw me down here comes in with a set of keys, opening the door to my cell, "we've arrived in Bloodstone." He pulls out a rope and I find my hands being tied yet again. "We sent a boy up to tell Reaver about the girl we pulled out of the sea, he's interested to meet you siren." He pulls out a black cloak and drapes it around me, tying it so you couldn't tell I was only in a long white tunic. 

"I still have no fucking idea who Reaver is." I mutter, allowing myself to be pulled into the harsh sunlight. It's blinding at first and I stumble, the pirate pauses only to bark out some orders to his men. I'm wishing the cloak was pulled over my head, sea colored hair stands out among these people and the sun is still painfully bright. I keep my head low as I'm dragged up sets of stairs that seem to have no end. The townspeople have no qualms with openly staring at me. It's a rather uncomfortable experience and the ropes are rough on my already bruised wrists. 

I look up, taking a chance to get a glance at the houses, the pathways are what looks like cobblestone. Everything seems to be from such a long time ago. I notice several prostitutes lingering in the streets, and one very ominous looking man in black lingering in one of the alleyways. The people here all look to be carrying some kind of weapon. We walk a final set of stairs and I'm met with a large, grand house.

"Wow." I breath, eyes wide as I stare up at the large building. The front gardens are beautiful, I want to stay out here and admire the flowers. 

"Aiden! Hey, is this the girl?" Another man greets us at the door, he looked a bit more...thuggy? Could this be Reaver? 

"Aye, is Reaver in?" Aiden the pirate asks as we climb the stairs to the door. Finally I know his name, not that I quite cared considering he locked me in a cell. It seems this thug isn't Reaver, just another terrifying looking thug. 

"He's waiting in his study." He waves us through, the house is decorated with luxurious furniture. Whoever Reaver is, he's loaded. My nerves kick in as the pirate opens a large wooden door, pushing me inside first. 

"Reaver, I brought the girl." Aiden calls out, still with a hard grip on my arm. 

"Now, tell me Aiden why am I to be interested in this girl with sea colored hair? Plenty of women in Bowerstone have hair the same color as the water there, brown."

I can only see his back but this man is tall with thick, dark hair. He sounds annoyed and I can hear his sigh before turning around to reveal a handsome face. His eyes are dark brown, at first he wears an unamused frown, but it changes to an expression of interest. 

"I see." He mutters, glancing at the man standing next to me. "Pulled her from the sea you say?" 

"Nearly naked and bruised up pretty bad." He replied promptly, pushing me forward and finally releasing his awful grip on my arm. I stumble on my bare feet, finding it hard to tear my gaze from the man in front of me. His suit is fancy and all white, lined with black fur. 

"Hm, thank you." Without so much as a flinch, he produces a gun and shoots Aiden in the head. I jumped, a short scream slipping from my lips. Now my gaze is glued to the pirate dead on the floor, blood starting to pool under his head. 

"Y-you just..." I can't speak and my whole body is shaking. 

"Interesting, indeed..." My attention is brought back to Reaver when I hear him much lower than he was before. When I turn my head I flinch, his hands are fiddling with the cloak. "Where are you from, sirène?" He finished untying the cloak, taking it from around my shoulders. 

"Virginia." I choke out in a small voice, watching as he tosses the piece of clothing aside. 

"Where the bloody hell is Virginia?" He chuckles, a look of arrogance on his face, "Do you take me for a fool? There is no such place, where is this Virginia?" 

"America." I respond, deciding honesty is the only thing I can really help myself with here. I'm in a strange land, in a world that I've concluded likely isn't my own. 

"America?" He laughs again, taking a piece of my messy hair between his fingers "And this? What in the world..." His voice trails off as his gaze settling on my chest, quickly he snatches my necklace from around my neck, breaking the make-shift chain. "Where did you get this?" He sounds angry and frantic maybe? 

"I, well, it just appeared when I showed up here." I wasn't sure how to explain that my uncle tried to kill me and I was sure to be dead.

"This-this isn't something people just get!" He shouts, quickly walking over to slam the door shut. 

I flinch again, not too fond of being alone with this guy. 

"Tell me, tell me how you got this, you insolent child!" He demands, standing between me and the door, still clutching the necklace. 

"I don't know. Okay? I thought I was dead! Drowning! My own uncle tried to kill me. I wanted to die!" I finally find my voice, giving him my honest truth. "Then these guys in pirate gear pull me out of the water and think I'm a mermaid and I don't even know where the hell I am. This must just be my own personal hell." 

Reaver is quiet, looking at me, then down at the necklace. It seems like an eternity I stand there, arms wrapped around myself while he stares at the object in his hand. He sighs heavily, turning around to open the door. "Fetch me one of my men, I don't care who." He speaks with someone I can't see on the other side of the door. "Why is your hair that color? And what is your name, you unfortunate girl." 

I take a moment to respond, staring at him blankly for a moment. "Well, in-where I come from it isn't unusual for people to color their hair. It isn't natural, it should wash out." I explain, watching as he walks around to sit at his desk again. 

"And your name?" 

"Lila."


	3. Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I like totally suck at this i think????? I'm not sure where i'm going with it or where the end will be. Also like these are probably really short but i'm mostly writing on my phone so sorry about that too? I'm the worst yikes

Reaver still held my necklace, it made me oddly angry and uncomfortable to not have it around my neck. I'm still in just a big tunic, making me slightly uncomfortable.  
"So, you think you're in hell?" He laughs," Not quite, but it may feel that way after a while." He mutters, mostly to himself I think.  
"What do you want with me?" I ask the question that had been wearing on my mind.  
"Well, for one, you're beautiful and I'd like to get on top of you." He sends me a dashing smile and a wink, making me blush profusely and become even more aware of my lack of significant clothing. "To be associated with a sirène of the sea will make for good gossip, don't you think?"  
"I suppose." I nod, he is slouched in his chair a bit, posture relaxed as he continues to examine that damned necklace.  
" And this." He opens a desk drawer, beckoning for me to come over. Sitting alone in the drawer is a larger version of the charm on my necklace.  
"They're the same." I whisper, growing more confused. " So what is it?"  
" A dark seal." He answers vaguely, I don't miss the antagonizing smirk on his face.  
"A dark seal?" I repeat. "What the hell is a dark seal?"  
Before Reaver can answer, three people enter the room. I turn around to look at them as Reaver stands and I can say I'm not quite comfortable with my back turned to this man.  
"Ah, wonderful, men, sit down if you would please." Reaver addresses the two rather handsome men that came in, each looking quite fidgety. The third person, a maid, stands with her head low, shrinking back.  
"And you, please run my guest a bath and find her something to wear for travel." He commands, then in a much lower voice he murmurs,"Although, I do quite enjoy her lack of clothing."  
I shiver, glancing over my shoulder to catch him staring after me as I am led from the room. I turn to the maid again, she is quiet and timid, head still low. I gave her a curious look, why was she so frightened?  
"Are you alright?" I ask, trying to be gentle.  
"Yes ma'am." She replies quickly, head still low.  
I back off a little, frowning. As we go further into the house I allow myself to look around, it seemed even larger than I had initially thought. I almost run into the poor, timid girl as she stops outside a door.  
"After you, ma'am." She opens the door for me, I walk in ahead of her and take a long look around the room.  
"Wow." I say under my breath, I don't think I'd ever seen a bathroom this large in person. The tub, a beautiful bronze color, looked as if it could easily fit two or three people. The floor is tiled in black and the walls are dark wood like the rest of the house. Red towels hang neatly on the wall with an odd black symbol embroidered on them. The room smells of spices, I glance at the maid as she works busily at drawing a bath. While she is occupied I walk around the room, admiring the luxury of it, there are plush couches, benches, and chairs lining the walls. A lovely silk robe catches my eye, black and shining, I reach out to touch the material, this all seemed much too unreal.  
"I've got to be dreaming, or dead. I'm sure I'm dead." I mutter to myself, glancing over my shoulder to be sure the girl hadn't heard me. I probably sounded crazy, I feel like I'm going crazy. How is any of this possible?  
The world works in ways you do not yet understand, little siren.  
My whole body seems to go rigid, that voice... I look over at the maid, she doesn't seem to have heard anything. It was definitely in my head and it sent shivers up my spine.  
"I'm definitely dead." I sigh, turning around to see the maid finishing up.  
"You're bath is ready ma'am." She dips her head low, as a sort of curtsy I assume.  
"Please, call me Lila." I tell her, wringing my hands nervously.  
Yes ma'am, er Miss Lila." She glances up at me and I offer a smile. "I'll take your garments, choose the robe of your liking." She gestures to the silk robes I had just been admiring .  
Changing in front of another woman had never been something that bothered me, so I turned my back, slipping off the tunic I had been wearing and my underwear. Naturally, I reach for the black silky robe, enjoying the high quality material against my skin. I turn back around, handing the woman the garments I had just taken off.  
"Thank you Miss Lila. Please enjoy your bath and ring the bell if you need anything." She bows again before scurrying from the room. I approach the large tub, dipping my hand into the water. My skin is paler than usual from being locked in a cell. I let the silk robe pool to the ground at my feet, then stepping in to sink comfortably into the tub. I let out a long sigh, allowing myself to enjoy this comfort while it lasts.  
I start humming to myself , softly singing under my breath as I scrub away the grime on my skin with a soft cloth. I try to wash my hair as well, taking note of the lack of color bleeding from it, strange. Now my curls are damp, I always thought I looked like a drowned rat when wet. When I look up at the mirror opposite the tub I'm startled to find Reaver standing in the doorway, watching me with a lazy smirk on his lips. The pit of my stomach felt fluttery and my cheeks betray me with a blush.  
"I do quite enjoy this view." He ruins the small moment by opening his mouth.  
"You could have at least knocked." I mumble, staring at the top of the water.  
"Ah, it's my house, love." He pauses, I look up to catch his gaze, watching him approach me in the mirror. "I can go wherever I damn well please." He halts right behind me, eyeing me with what could be curiosity. "And now, you are mine as well, siréne."  
My eyes widen as he crouches down enough to place a large hand around my throat, squeezing hard. My body jolts, and I find myself with both hands wrapped around his wrist. He doesn't let up, squeezing harder as my struggling becomes greater.  
"You belong to me. Reaver.” He hisses, letting up a little, but not removing his hand from around my throat, “I could force myself upon you like so many disgusting brutes would but I'm not that kind of man, it's much more thrilling when it’s a chase. Like a hunt and when I hunt, I never come home empty handed.”  
He doesn't seem to mind how the arm of his suit had gotten wet or how my fingers are digging into his skin. He simply gives my throat another, long squeeze before moving back to a standing position all together. I gasp, needing air to rush back into my lungs.  
I don't speak, unable to form any real sentence about what just happened. I want to say something, curse him, tell him off. I want to stand up for myself but my weak mind is drawing blank.  
"Good." The man hums, turning around to call in the same maid as before. "Help our friend dress and bring her to the study."  
Reaver doesn't hardly look at the girl before he leaves the room. I had one hand resting gently around my throat, a horrified look still on my face. The maid walks over to the side of the tub, silently holding out a hand for me to take. I accept, allowing the girl to help me out of the tub, she hands me a towel and I dry off a little. I slide the robe I had chosen back on, following her towards the mirror where she had left a neat pile of clothes.  
We had a bit of a quarrel when I refused heavy skirts, if I were to be traveling I preferred pants. Luckily, she had found a pair of black breeches for me to wear, they're surprisingly snug and a little stretchy. She paired it with a white blouse, something I would consider pirate-y. The maid also had me tuck the blouse in, the material is thin enough to not be too much of a hassle. She gave me a green military looking coat with shiny brass buttons that reaches my calves. I was ready for action after pulling on a pair of tall leather boots reaching just under my knee. Surprisingly I don't exactly look as if I'm cross dressing, the outfit suited me rather nicely. She insisted on doing my hair as well, braiding it down my back, though at first it seemed she was scared to touch it.  
While I let her brush and style my thick hair I take some time to think, sitting in front of a dark wooden vanity, faced with my reflection and the marks that began to appear around my throat. The girl behind me is pale with dark eyes, her brown hair hidden under a bonnet, save the few pieces that fell in her face. I wonder how she got here, doing this man's bidding.  
"May I ask a question?" I speak suddenly, startling her. The girl is young, can't be past the age of 20 and absolutely gorgeous with fair skin.  
"Careful what you ask, ma'am." She nods, lowering her gaze to my hair again. What could I ask that would raise alarm?  
"Who is Reaver? I mean, what's his significance?" I ask, watching as surprise is written across her face.  
"What a silly question, everyone knows Reaver, Miss Lila." She says matter-of-factly. How do I explain to her that I'm not even from this world?  
"I'm from a far away land." I tell her, trying not to get myself locked up in a looney bin. Does this place even have asylums?  
"It's still very surprising you don't know who Master Reaver is. He runs all of Bowerstone industrial, he was once a great pirate, they say he killed Captain Dread, and he's the best shots in all of Albion. He's also known for throwing wild parties and shooting people just for fun. Some say he's never aged, but I don't believe it." She lowers her voice and leans closer, glancing around. "He's a very powerful and terrifying man, don't get on his bad side Miss Lila."  
She sits back again, finishing with my hair. I'm silent for a moment, meeting her gaze again in the mirror.  
“Thank you, I'm very lost in this new and trying to figure things out.” I smile, standing up and turning to face her. “I hope to see you again, I’d like some insight into this place.”  
“If I'm around I'll be sure to help you adjust, my lady.” She bows her head and smiles, gesturing towards the door. “Now, follow me back to the study please.”  
There are several people in the room two young women sit on a leather couch with Reaver, my necklace hanging between his fingers once again. Four men sit around Reaver and three more are standing by the door.  
“There she is! Dear child won't you come let the boys get a good look at my newest trinket?”  
“And if I don't?”  
“I'll kill you.” A revolver was on me in no time.  
“Please do, Master Reaver.”


	4. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THISSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSS  
> Sorry I hate myself lol

Reaver still hadn't told me much, but he returned my necklace after lowering his revolver. I felt better with the talisman around my neck, two men had been tasked to watch over me. I was escorted up to a room where I found myself staring off at the distant ocean, a melancholy feeling invading my bones. None of this seemed real, it couldn't be, things like this didn't actually happen to people. 

For a moment I pondered jumping over the railing onto the stones below, perhaps I would die. If only I were that lucky. I let out an exasperated sigh, turning my back on the railing. My room is decorated in luxury just as the rest of the house is. The two men assigned to watch me stood silently at the door. Both looked to be thugs or bandits. They wore dark clothing and were armed with swords and pistols. 

The technology here seems to be behind what existed in my world, I didn’t notice any telephones or screens, I had seen a few early looking steamboats on the docks. I began to pace, hands clasped behind my back, I wondered what I might look like, shining blue hair in a near-ruined braid. I let out out a harsh huff, stopping abruptly. How dare this man send me to my room like a child, I would not be treated like a toy, a trinket. I glance towards the door, the guards watching me carefully. They still had that same underlying expression of fear in their eyes. These were likely people that believed in magic, mermaids, dragons, and all that. I watch them for a moment, glowering about my current situation. How could I get myself the hell out of here? 

“Sirène, it’s time to depart.” Reaver interrupts my thoughts of escape, bursting through the door in different attire than before. He almost looks like a pirate, in crimson, white, and black. The coat he wears is detailed with gold, still looking very stylish and wealthy. Much to my surprise he pulls out a dainty looking pistol,fitted with strange jewels that seem to match the color of my hair. The weapon gives off a strange glow almost, something that is a little startling for me.

I glance from the weapon, then up to Reaver. His face hardens and he steps forward, holding it out. 

“Where we are going is a dangerous place, if you pull this gun on me...I can’t kill you but I can do much worse.” I didn’t fully understand what he meant but it definitely made deciding if I wanted to shoot him or not an easy decision. He gave me a holster to go with it, and a pouch with bullets and gunpowder or whatever the else I needed. I wasn’t given a chance to adjust it myself as the pirate took it upon himself to slide the belt around my waist. 

“Is this a power move?” I blurt, trying very hard not to make it so noticable how uncomfortable I became once he pulled me closer to fiddle with the buckle. 

“Perhaps.” He mutters, yanking the belt a little too tightly before actually buckling everything. “Perhaps, I just want to be close to the mystery standing in front of me.” 

His last statement is a little startling, from what I gathered, this is not a gentle man. He steps back, looking me up and down. Abruptly he comes forward again, yanking the ribbon from my hair. 

“There. Come along pet.” He then turns and walks out of the room, leaving me to scurry after him. “Once we reach the streets, walk like you’re somebody important. Soon, you will be.” 

I don’t respond, giving him only a grunt of irritation. I glare at the walls, again feeling like a child being told what to do. 

“They think you’re a sea witch, might as well act like it.” He sounds irritated, giving me a threatening glare before shoving me into the next room where several men wait.

 

 

The walk through the cobblestone streets of the strange seaside town was fairly uneventful. There were many whispers about my odd hair and where I may have come from or who I may be. Nothing eventful happened, as we grew further from the town I noticed the men become more uncomfortable. I’m hit with a chill as we approach what look like mausoleums. We pass what looks like an open portal, something I stare at for as long as I can see it. 

“What…?” I look up at Reaver who is walking beside me. 

“Demon door.” He answers simply, also looking uncomfortable. “Now, shut up.” He hisses as we pass through a stone arch into a much darker area. The scenery gradually changes and a creepy feeling crawls its way up my spine. I’m my head I can imagine a large black beast breathing down my neck. I realize we are entering a marsh, wispy grasses and bare blackened trees surround us. There are remnants of stone structures and in the distance I can make out a few rooftops. 

“Where are we?” I ask quietly, afraid to speak too loud, this seems like the kind of place the dead may raise up out of the ground.

“Wraithmarsh.” Someone answers, but I’m not sure who. 

“Reaver, they’re coming.” One of the men speaks, causing the party to halt. I step back as a heavy fog enters the area rather suddenly. 

“Bloody hell.” Reaver yanks my arm, pulling me into his side. “I hope you know how to shoot.” His eyes are scanning the fog for something, but I don’t know what. That is until a loud screech sounds from somewhere behind us. I look over my shoulder, shuddering at the image before me. What looks to be a woman in tattered robes is hovering in the fog, hands clasped in front of her. With another creech she opens her palms and strange black figures arise, they look like small children, the only feature I can make out are glowing red eyes.Gunshots begin to ring out as the men try to fend off the little creatures. Reaver hasn’t made a move yet, pushing me behind him. I get the feeling he’s waiting for something. In all the calamity I can make out a haunting voice.

“You don’t belong here. You don’t belong anywhere.” 

Bile rises in my throat and my blood runs cold. 

“Broken, lost little girl. None of them care about you.”

I reach out and grip Reaver’s arm, I’m zoned in on the figure of the woman. 

“You will never find what you seek, they have robbed you of death.”

More gunshots, the figure screeches again and I watch as Reaver raises his gun, firing a shot at the creature, then another. She jerks with every bullet. 

“Mommy and Daddy cry out for you”

A final shot and she seems to just fade into the fog. I feel hot tears on my cheeks,my bottom lip quivers. I don’t understand what just happened, I don’t notice how I’m clinging to Reaver. I don’t even notice the bodies around us.

“Banshee.” Reaver finally speaks, catching my attention. I step back, frantically wiping my face, angry with myself for being weak. 

“Those things are real?” My voice is shakey, I collect my bearings and look around, three men are unmoving in the dirt around us.

“Aye.” Reaver replies, looking around. “We can’t stay here, moving forward is the only way now.” He pulls me with him, the men we have left following as well. The surroundings don’t brighten up or change as we make our way down another dirt path, a broken down bridge looks to be up ahead of us. As we cross the bridge a faint sense of calm sleeps in the back of my mind. 

“This was once a town.” Reaver speaks again, looking around. His eyes are empty, he nods his head in the direction of an ominous looking stone door. “There’s our destination, do you have the necklace?” He looks down at me, waiting as I pull the pendent from under my shirt. The calmness began to spread, the darkness I knew was ahead of me didn’t seem so frightening. 

“Good,” Reaver turns around,” wait here for us, we head back to bowerstone once this is sorted.” he addresses his men, who don’t question him. They begin to gather things for a fire as Reaver and I slip behind the door alone.


	5. Court

Reaver leads the way at a fast pace, dragging me along by the arm. I have to almost jog to keep up, and even so I trip over my own feet and fallen stones along the way. I don’t have much time to take in my eerie surrounds, though I want to. I felt unnaturally calm in these crumbling corridors. Nothing jumps out to attack us or leaps from any of the abyss-like corners. I want to crawl into the abyss and stay there. Yes, death is what I want, death has been calling to me for quite some time now. 

 

“We're almost there.” Reaver mutters, glancing down at me, “How do you feel?” He asks, curiosity written into his features. 

 

“I’m good, better than before I think.” I respond, stumbling as he stops abruptly in front of a tunnel. 

 

“Interesting. You seem unfazed.” He places the back of his hand on my forehead “And very warm?” The man hums in thought before turning towards the tunnel again. 

 

“Where are we going?” I ask as he starts down this path much slower. 

 

“To meet the Shadow Court, they gave you that amulet and your life.” He answers, leaving me to turn the idea over in my head. I can't find any logic in it but I also can't find any logic in anything right now 

 

We enter a large round room, almost like a throne room, the top is open to the sky, but it is a dismal grey sky. There is a rumbling all around us and three tall black figures appear, glowing red eyes pop out of a featureless cloaked shadow. They all appeared to be shadows, but three dimensional. I was surprised but couldn’t find the energy to freak out. I should be freaking out. Why wasn’t I freaking out? 

 

“Uh,hello.” For some reason I felt the need to speak, noticing the odd look Reaver gives me

 

“Welcome, young one.” The figure in the middle speaks in a deep rumbling voice.

 

“Chewed up and spat out by the sea.” Another continues, the image of a girl-me-is portrayed in black smoke on front of us. The figure struggles with her binds until the smoke swallows her up. The image changes and the figure is torn from the smoke. 

 

“Death is not in your cards, young one.” I let out a sigh, slouching a little. 

 

“Literally the only thing I want is to die.” I tell the shadow figures, who all just stare with their creepy eyes. 

 

“We know.” They answer in unison, “A being you know but have not yet met has bargained for your life. In return you must bring us a soul to compensate for each year the Shadows breathe into your lungs.” I’m jarred by this information, someone else bargained for my life? 

 

“Who? Where can I find them?” I ask frantically, noticing the way the shadows began to fade. I’m frustrated by the short encounter, the lack of real information about what is happening. A soul, how was I supposed to get a soul? I was I to get a soul to the Shadow Court? 

 

“Much lies ahead, young one.” The shadows began to disappear one-by-one. 

 

“Journey with the pirate, the king, and the soldier.” Three pairs of glowing eyes stare back at me, reaching into the depths of my skull. Its painful to look a shadow in the face. 

 

“Welcome home.” Then, all together the lights flicker out and I’m left in this dismal hole with more questions than I came here with and a tall, stunned pirate at my back. 

 

“Well that was bloody brilliant!” Reaver whoops from behind, mocking in a low tone “Welcome home.”

 

The pirates glee causes me to whip around and reel back to knock him square in the jaw. In his fit of laughter he hadn’t seen me wrench my fist into the air fast enough. I managed to knock the fool strait onto his ass.

 

“Fuck you.” I growl, earning a sadistic smile from the man on the floor. 

 

“Right, here? I knew you’d be freaky.” His eyes twinkle as he lifts himself from the ground, nostrils flaring. My instincts cried- _ run.  _ The man towers above me, wearing a terrifying psychotic expression. “I can’t kill you but I can hurt you, don’t test me.” I barely register the movement of Reaver raising his gun and firing straight into my chest. I do register the feeling of blood in my mouth and fire in my ribcage, I can hardly focus on Reaver as he approaches. Nothing else makes sense as it’s all consumed by a an inky black.

  
  
  
  
  


“Keep this door locked, don’t want the little mermaid escaping off to sea again do we?” I hear a voice I feel I recognize from a dream. I feel well rested, but groggy. I clamour around for my phone, wondering what time it is. 

 

“Awake at last  Sirène? ” I jerk up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. 

 

“What? Wait?” I babble, looking around in panic. Oh god why was I still here. I appear to be in a cabin. The rocking of everything around me and sounds of gulls tells me where we are. “No, no, this was a dream for god’s sake!” I cry in frustration, balling up my fists. “Why can’t I just die already!” I can’t believe I’m stuck here. 

 

“Okayyy…” Reaver looks off out the large window in the back of the room. His eyebrows are raised as he looks back over at me. “As much as I hate to interrupt these psychotic ramblings, I am obliged to ask how you feel.” 

 

“I feel fantastic actually.” I admit, stretching. I had the same shirt on I remember wearing before, though I had been stripped of my boots and breeches. I did notice the large red stain though, dark and dried. It all comes rushing back and I remember the Shadow Court’s confusing words. Then I recall the satisfaction of punching Reaver and the pain of what came after, 

 

“You’ve been asleep for three,” He interrupts my thought process, pausing the glance outside again, “and a half days.” He finishes, looking quite irritated. “I slept a week the first time I died.” 

  
  


“You shot me! You asshole!” I stand, stumbling about as I fully feel the movement of the vessel we’re on. “Oh, oh god.” I clutch onto a nearby table, eyes wide. 

 

“No sea legs.” He tuts, rising with ease. “Get back in bed, tomorrow you may come aboard the deck, we’re off to pay a visit to the king in bowerstone.” Reaver takes my arm, leading me back to the bed. The silk sheets look very inviting. “I had the maids prepare some clothes for you, they’re in the wardrobe with my things when your ready.” 

 

“Thank you?” I question crawling under the covers cautiously.

 

“Can’t have my pet going underdressed, can I trinket?” He smirks, making me scoff and roll away from him.    
  


“Rest up, you’re to be trained when you’re well enough.”  

 

I spend the rest of that day tossing and turning, I wanted to get out but Reaver would never let me. He kept telling me to rest, I kept arguing that I couldn’t. I bargained for a journal and something to write with to take up my time. I then filled the evening sketching the Shadows and penning their words. I stare at the entry for a long time, trying to understand this mess. I also sketch the houses I had passed, making small notes to myself about the time period. I noted that they seemed to be in an industrial revolution, I had seen a few steam ships and somewhat familiar technologies so far. But I hadn’t seen much of this place yet, being locked away or wandering the swamps for the most part. Once the light dies from outside I manage to find a candle and light it, sketching more images of what I had come across so far. I’m zoned in on recreating the landscape of the marsh when Reaver enters the room. I glance up for a moment, catching his eye as he slides his coat off. He looked very regal, the man practically screamed nobility. 

 

“Glad to see you could occupy yourself, pet.” He hangs up his hat an sits on the bed, unbuckling his boots.

 

I huff at the patronizing nickname, closing the journal and placing my pen nearby. Once I fully turn around, Reaver is watching me with one of those odd expressions of his. I hold his gaze for a moment, before being forced away from his dark eyes. The moment became tense and invasive as I moved from my place. 

 

“You need a bath.” He announces abruptly, leaving the room half undressed.

 

He didn’t return, but a woman came in with two men carrying a less luxurious basin to bath in. The bath was cold and unpleasant, I shivered all the while as the woman helped me. She wasn’t very talkative and I couldn’t find the words to break the tense silence I felt was still surrounding me. Just after being wrapped in a robe and a few blankets, Reaver comes sauntering in with his hair in a mess and shirt half undone. 

 

“Good, your finished.” He observes before quickly leaving and returning moments later with a few burly men, tasked to heave the water basin out. Reaver also dismisses the woman and we’re left alone once again. “It will be morning soon.” He murmurs, slamming the wardrobe open. I jolt at the unexpected force he uses. The pirate seems to be bothered by something, his brows are furrowed and anger is present in his glare. He retrieves some clothes and tosses them over on the bed near me. The room is silent for a moment as I stand still, waiting for him to leave. 

 

“Reaver, at least turn around.” I demand, clutching the robe as I pull off the blankets and fold them neatly. 

 

“No.” The answer is simple, accompanied with an unmoving expression. He sits down in a crimson armchair, the rising sun casts an orange glow through the window. I can’t find the words to protest so I turn around to face away from him. 

 

“No.” The word comes again and I glance over my shoulder at him, his glossy eyes are narrowed and I have a feeling he’s just seeing how much power he holds. If I’m honest he holds all of the power, I’d likely be dead and happy without him. 

 

I whip around, angry at the embarrassment I feel, angry at Reaver for being a dick. I go to wrench my robe of but slow, watching his expression change to one of curiosity. This man wouldn’t take me unless I wanted it too, perhaps I could gain some leverage that way. I know he can see the gears turning in my head as I untied the knot around my waist and let the robe fall to the floor. I glare at Reaver, directing all of the rage I’m feeling in my situation at him. I’m still shivering but I take my time dressing myself, keeping eye contact with Reaver as much as I could. His gaze strayed several times and I tried to ignore the disgust that settled in the back of my mind. Once I’m fully clothed I take a step back, sighing heavily. 

 

“Get out.” Reaver rumbles, his eyes are blazing and his nostrils are flared. I notice the tight grip he has on the arms of his chair and decide not to argue. 

 

“As you wish.” I smirk, swaggering out onto the deck and basking in the fresh air. 


End file.
